Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

What They Look Like

A young Bald Eagle is a very large, dark brown bird as a juvenile and then at the age of three its head and tail begin to turn white.  The head and tail are normally completely white by the age of six.  It stands over two and a half feet tall and its wingspan is up to seven and a half feet wide. 

Where They Live

In Michigan they are fairly common in the Upper Peninsula and are becoming more common in the Lower Peninsula.  There has been a breeding pair spotted in every county in Michigan though.  They live near seacoasts, lakes and large rivers and require a reliable food supply.  They build a large stick nest that is about ten feet wide and can weight over a ton and add to it every year. 

What They Eat

Their diet consists mainly of fish but they will also eat water fowl and rabbit sized mammals.  It is a little known fact that they will also scavenge road kill and dead deer and will also steal prey from other raptors.

  

Things to Know

Bald Eagles were once regularly distributed throughout Michigan.  There was a huge crash in numbers in the 1950’s due to DDT/DDE use.  Their numbers began to increase in 1981 and even though they are still listed as a Threatened species their numbers are continuing to increase in Michigan.  Although it is illegal to disturb them on their nests, they are excellent birds to watch since they will readily hunt in front of people.

Why We Have One

MUCC got its Bald Eagle in October of 1998.  When he was just a baby his nest fell out of the tree that it was in and the fall broke his wing.  Veterinarians then decided that the tip of his wing had to be amputated so now he cannot fly and cannot be returned to the wild.  The good new is that his sibling that was in the nest with him was unharmed and the people that rescued it were able to put it into another Bald Eagles nest and they raised it as their own.